monkey bubble bread

Our first encounter with Monkey Bread was 10 years ago, in Ocean City. There's a cute kiosk dedicated to this baked delight. If you've never had the pleasure of encountering one, imagine this: yeasty, puffy balls of dough, enrobed in caramelized, sticky, buttery, cinnamon sugar. It's a finger-lickin', tongue-ticklin' treat, most suitable for a gathering of sugarholics. This snack is meant to be eaten fresh out of the oven or definitely day-of, if it lasts that long.

 

The Daughter took it upon herself to make it for us. She particularly liked dredging the puff balls in butter, then rolling them in sugar.

Ooey, gooey goodness

Monkey Bubble Bread
from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Polifitano


for the monkey bubble bread
1¼ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


for the cinnamon sugar coating
1¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled


Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.


In a small saucepan, warm your milk to slightly above room temperature then remove it from the heat, add the yeast, and whisk to dissolve. (Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill the yeast.) In the bowl of the standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. 


In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined. Keeping the mixer on low, slowly stream in the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook attachment.  Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough becomes silky and tacky, but not sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.The dough should mound together and easily come off the bottom of the mixing bowl. (If the dough is too wet, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water.)


Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to make sure it is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough had doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.


Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.


Use your clean hands to push down and deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle approximately 8 inches in diameter. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to cut dough into 1- to 1½- inch pieces (about ½ ounce each)—alternatively, use your hands to pinch apart the dough. Roll the pieces into balls (they don't have to be perfectly round).  Place the balls on the sheet pan (you will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic wrap.


In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.


Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls and dip one ball in the melted butter. Let the excess butter drip back into the bowl, roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have several layers, arranging them as if you are building a brick wall. Wrap the Bundt pan tightly in plastic wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool the bread for 5 minutes, the turn it out directly onto a platter and serve warm. Should you have any leftovers (this is rare, I promise you), simply reheat them in a 300-degree oven until warm to the touch.


This post is linked to Savvy HomeMade Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Made by You Monday, Tasty Tuesdays, Made from Scratch Tuesday, This Chick Cooks